May Day Protests: Cops Possibly Start Riot In Seattle Then Back Off After Incitement [Video]

Here is video evidence that Seattle cops possibly started May Day riots on May 1, 2015. While seemingly peaceful marches occurred, a bike cop leaped from his bike into the protesters.

After this, May Day protesters began to throw rocks and wrenches at police officers. Yet, Seattle police say that the protesters were already rioters. However, at least from the above video, it’s seen that Seattle Police incited some rioting by forcefully breaking one of the protesters’ marching lines.

The officer didn’t just attempt to calmly break protester ranks, he threw himself and his bike onto the individuals.

If you look closer, right before he speeds toward the May Day protest line, you can see the officer to his right give him a go-ahead signal. The same officer signaled for the rest of the officers to move in thereafter.

Yet, local media coverage of the May Day protests says as follows.

“At 7:30 p.m… officers issued a dispersal order to the group and attempted to clear the street at Broadway and Howell, Seattle police said.

“Protesters hurled bottles, rocks, bricks, wrenches, and other projectiles at police, who responded by utilizing pepper spray and pepper balls to break up the increasingly violent crowd, police said.”

In the May Day video, it can be seen that Seattle police are utilizing pepper spray, as reported. However, this wasn’t until after Seattle police also initialized the aforementioned public reaction. This is not included in the official report but is definitely seen in the video.

In the report, it adds as follows.

“They added protestors also began pushing barricades and trash cans into roadways, and raided a fenced construction site for items they later burned in the street.”

In a second video, included below, you can see the barricades being pulled into the streets as May Day protesters riot, just as reported.

Even more, as you watch the first Seattle protest video, you can see that cops put up a barricade themselves, using their bikes. This came after the bike officer threw himself into the May Day protesters.

Komo News quoted Seattle Mayor Ed Murray as follows.

“The march quickly went violent. The officers made the appropriate decision to stop that march at that point.”

To which decision does the mayor mean? Before or after the officer leaped onto the protesters? Did the violence start before or after?

Here, you can see another news medium, KIRO, get attacked.

Unlike the hundreds arrested in the recent Baltimore riots, though cops were injured and properties vandalized, only 16 people were arrested.

This is a protest that has happened in years past against police brutality and for workers’ rights. This particular May Day protest, according to KIRO 7, began at Seattle Central Community College and progressed into Seattle’s inner communities and downtown.

In the first video, protesters can be seen going downhill as if coming from the community college. In this video, protesters are constantly being moved back uphill. It begs to question, who actually started the riots?

What are your thoughts on the Seattle May Day protests? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

[Photo Credits: Twitter]